On February 22, 5+5 Joint Military Committee confirms security in Sirte “safe enough” to hold parliamentary session.
On February 24, PM-elect Dbeibeh, Chechnya President Kadyrov talk cooperation against terrorism.
On February 25, NCDC detects first 23 UK COVID-19 variant cases ever in Libya.
On February 25, Libya’s Al-Ghad TV correspondent Ziad Al-Warfly abducted after covering GNU conference in Tripoli, broadcaster calls for immediate release.
On February 28, PM-elect Dbeibeh denies corruption allegations dating back to first round of LPDF talks as many call for relevant UN report to be released before confidence vote.
POLITICS
- On February 28, after several Libyan personalities accused PM-elect Dbeibeh of being involved in a corruption case dating back to the first round of LPDF talks, he denied all corruption allegations, emphasizing that the new Presidential Council was elected in total transparency. According to the accusations, figures close to Dbeibeh allegedly offered bribes between USD 150,000 and 200,000 to at least three LPDF members in return of their vote for Dbeibeh. A UN report on the allegations is to be released soon.
- On February 28, the Ministry of the Interior confirmed that it had tightened security measures throughout the city of Sirte, in preparation for the session for the vote of confidence that the Libyan parliament will have to vote on the next Government of National Unity. In a statement, the ministry added that thousands of policemen will be deployed in the vicinity of the parliamentary seat, as well as on all main roads, in order to strengthen security and provide a safe environment for the parliamentarians;
- On February 28, House of Representatives (HoR) Speaker Aguila Saleh said there is no opposition to the government that is about to be voted on by the HoR, adding that during the next session, to be held either in Sirte or Tobruk, a vote of confidence will take place;
- On February 28, the forum of the Touareg tribes began in Ghat with the aim of electing a new committee representing all the Touareg tribes. The forum will end on March 2. There are several calls to unify the Touareg tribes under a single leadership capable of getting their voice to the decision-makers and strengthening their participation in national reconciliation;
- On February 26, the Director of the Moral Guidance Department of the Libyan National Army (LNA), Major General Khaled Al-Mahjoub, said that the army would only hand over its leadership to a President who is democratically elected by the Libyan people. Al-Mahjoub added that the mission of the new government aims to hold presidential and parliamentary elections. He pointed out that as long as there are foreign forces in Libya, including Turkey-backed mercenaries, the need for an organized national army will remain;
- On February 26, PM-elect Dbeibah said that he would work to reduce power outages to a minimum during the coming summer season. In a tweet, Dbeibah added that he discussed the government’s preparations to work to improve the quality of services and the sustainability of energy supplies with the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Electricity Company of Libya, Wiam Al-Abdali;
- On February 22, Libya’s newly-elected Presidential Council held a meeting with members of the HoR representing the south of the country, to discuss the mechanisms for forming a new government. The meeting was chaired by Presidential Council (PC) Chairman-elect, Menfi and attended by Deputy Chairman-elect, Al-Koni. The participants discussed the various mechanisms before presenting them to the Libyan HoR in its upcoming session.
TRIPOLI
- On February 28, security sources said that there were fresh tensions in the capital Tripoli, after the killing of a member of a militia called “444”, affiliated with the Rada (Deterrence) Force, in the Salah al-Din area. According to sources, members of the “Revolutionaries of Tripoli” militia opened fire first;
- On February 26, Libya’s Al-Ghad TV announced that its correspondent, Ziad Al-Warfly, had been kidnapped after covering a conference for the new government in Tripoli on February 25. The channel held the Presidential Council and Government of National Unity (GNU) responsible for the safety of the kidnapped correspondent;
- On February 25, Libya’s National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) in Tripoli confirmed the first 23 cases of the UK COVID-19 variant in the country, after the center tested 88 positive samples for the virus. The NCDC said in a statement that they discovered 26% of the total samples were infected by the British strain. It is characterized by rapid transmission and spread of the infection.
- On February 22, Northern Tripoli’s public prosecutor confirmed that the fire exchange between Interior Minister Bashagha’s motorcade and a local militia could not be rated as attempted murder, as Bashagha himself had instead maintained. Political analyst, Kamel al-Mirash refuted the scenario presented by Bashagha over his alleged assassination attempt in Janzur. He stressed that Bashagha had been quick to use the incident locally and internationally to put pressure on the new government to keep him in his post.
SIRTE
- On February 22, Libya’s 5+5 Joint Military Committee (JMC) confirmed that the security conditions in Sirte were safe enough to hold a parliamentary session to grant confidence to the new government. The Committee said in a statement that Sirte was ready to receive all MPs to unify the divided parliament.
SEBHA
- On February 28, PC Chairman-elect, Menfi, held talks with mayors of the southern Libyan municipalities to discuss ways of enhancing national security in the region. During his visit to Libya’s southern city of Sebha, Menfi was accompanied by PC Deputies Al-Koni and Al-Lafi;
- On February 25, Director of Administrative and Financial Affairs in Sebha, Mohamed Ismail ordered schools to close for two weeks over the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the municipality.
AL-AJAYLAT
- On February 23, the Libyan Authority for Relief and Humanitarian Aid revealed that an armed group opened fire on a team in the city of Al-Ajaylat. The group fired at the team while undertaking humanitarian work. It was distributing aid to IDPs in the city, when attacked by the gunmen who seized the aid. The team was headed by the deputy head of its management committee, Khaled Al-Marghani who stressed that everyone was safe
GHARYAN
- On February 22, the police said two men had been arrested for allegedly dealing in counterfeit currency in Gharyan. The Criminal Investigation Department of the Gharyan Security Directorate arrested the gang in possession of a safe containing USD 370,000 worth of counterfeited US dollar bills.
WESTERN LIBYA
- On February 26, Italian radar website ItaMilRadar said it had monitored three military cargo aircrafts belonging to the Turkish Air Force landing in western Libya. Flight A400M departed from Ankara and landed in Misrata, while a C-130H landed in Al-Watiya Air Base. Another A400M landed somewhere in western Libya.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
- On February 28, a high-level Libyan trade delegation visited Cairo and held a meeting with the Head of the Companies and Travel Division of the Egyptian Chamber of Commerce, Ahmed Saad, to discuss the reconstruction of the war-torn country. The two sides discussed the possibilities of sending Egyptian manpower to work on rebuilding Libya;
- On February 28, the German Ambassador to Libya, Oliver Owcza, met with HoR Speaker, Saleh, in Qubba, eastern Libya. The two sides discussed preparations for the vote of confidence to the new Libyan cabinet;
- On February 28, PC Deputy Chairman-elect Moussa al-Koni discussed “important issues” with the Italian Ambassador Giuseppe Buccino—namely, the upcoming vote of confidence in the new government and cooperation with Italy, both to strengthen the Fezzan economy and to combat human trafficking starting from the southern borders of Libya;
- On February 28, German NGO Sea-Watch rescued 147 migrants off the coast of Libya during two rescue operations carried out by its ship, Sea-Watch 3. In tweets, the organization stated that it had rescued 102 migrants on a rubber boat that sent a distress. It had rescued 45 migrants, including 15 minors, who were trying to reach Europe by sea via Libya;
- On February 26, UNSMIL head Ján Kubiš met with the Italian Foreign Minister, Luigi Di Maio in Rome to exchange views on the latest developments in Libya. According to UNSMIL’s tweet, the two men discussed the importance of the coordinated support of the international community at this critical juncture of the Libyan political process;
- On February 25, Libya’s PM-elect Dbeibeh confirmed that the maritime agreement with Turkey would stand. During a press conference, Dbeibeh said that the relationship with Turkey will be distinguished by a framework of strong cooperation. He claimed that the maritime agreement with Turkey is important and will continue to be implemented, while other agreements will be studied and dealt with legally;
- On February 24, PM-elect Dbeibeh discussed with the President of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov various possibilities of cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism. Dbeibeh’s Media Office said in a statement that he discussed Libyan Special Forces receiving training at the Special Forces University in Chechnya. He expressed his interest in strengthening overall cooperation with Russia.
